Maternity fashion part 1

::My last post was emotional and heavy. I am so thankful for kind and sweet friends who emailed/shared comments with me regarding that post. You guys are amazing! Now, I think we should have something nice and light!::

Ever since becoming pregnant, I was super freaking excited to dress and show off my bump! As many of you know, I love love love fashion. I could spend hours putting together outfits and accessories together. If I wasn't teaching, I sure would love to be a stylist, or do something in the fashion industry. I don't think that I am some amazing fashionista, but I sure do love me some clothes and accessories!

Being pregnant in the fall and winter is interesting. Certain pieces can make you look frumpy or they aren't flattering. I wanted to dress fashionably, yet I wanted to be comfortable. I also didn't want to dress like this person (sorry if you like this):

AND  I certainly didn't want to dress like this moron, I mean, dress like Kim K:

     No, this is not cute Kim. Bye. 

So, I headed over to my local maternity store, and quickly saw that some of the clothes weren't that cute  and it was so flippin' costly!

One gem that I learned quickly. HIT UP internet sales and Target sales racks! I was really fortunate that my friend Sadie gave me a heads up on a huge Kohl's online sale. Thanks to that, I was able to buy a ton of needed staples without breaking the bank. You only wear maternity clothes for a small span of time, it's not worth it to me to spend oodles of money. I spent (besides shoes since I already had them or they were a gift), (no joke) only $120 on everything: jeans (x2), leggings (x2), some tops (x4), tights (x1) and dresses (x2). I did good!!

So, part 1 of this blog is just simply going over my favorite staples that have carried me thus far in my pregnancy. One thing that I got lucky was I still fit in almost all of my tops, thank goodness. Some are getting harder to wear than others, thanks to my belly getting so big. I will say if you are pregnant in spring/summer, this board won't apply, however, I think it's good to know. Here is my lovely board from polyvore:

Going in order from left to right...
1. Kohl's and Old Navy full panel maternity bootcut jeans. OMG. I can't sing enough of its praises. Best jeans hands down! I can't stress enough the full panel jeans. The mid panels cut into my skin, which makes for a very grumpy preggo. Get full panel yo.
2. Kohl's long sleeve tees- I have about 2, in white and black. The perfect shirt to wear solo or layer.
3.Old Navy striped tanks. Love these! The ruched sides helped my ever growing belly and they are just so dang comfy. They are also the perfect tank to layer.
4. Leggings and tights...I can go on for dayyyysssss about these two vital pieces. I got 2 pairs of leggings, and a set of maternity tights. Make sure your tights and leggings are maternity. Seriously. Regular girl tights/leggings hurt like a mother trucker in the tummy area.
5. Basic black dress- I had this dress in gray and a black wrap dress. Perfect essentials for the working preggo. They are extremely versatile which can be paired with the perfect statement necklace or cardigan.
5. Boots- As you will see in part 2, I have had a penchant for knee high boots. I wore them all the time. I already had two tan pairs plus a black pair so I was set.
6. Flats- When I got pregnant, I wore heels up until I was 5 weeks pregnant. I then decided to retire my heels. This made me so sad, as I am obsessed with high heels. However, I am such a klutz and I was deathly afraid of falling. So, my mom took me to the shoe store Naturalizer, to get a pair of "sensible shoes", I wasn't thrilled, but ended up finding a pair of brown and black flats that were perfectly cute but had good support and were comfy. Ladies, I can't stress this enough, especially if you are on your feet all day like me. Get something that will keep you safe and provide stability!

I think you can still be pregnant and be fashionable. Its all about making wise choices in what you invest in!

Till next time loves,

Grandparents

 2 weeks ago, we went to a Superbowl party at a friend's house. The guys were hanging out and one asked Shannon about our baby and her "grandparents".

Shannon then had to explain that both of his parents and my father are deceased, so our little girl will have just one grandparent, my mother. Our friend was so taken aback that Shannon has lost both parents and I had already lost my dad. Normally, people our age don't lose our parents that young.

Shannon's story breaks my heart into million little pieces. When Shannon was 18, his beautiful mother passed away from colon cancer. Then on Memorial day 2005, his dad also passed away from  cancer. About 4 months later, my father passed away from cancer. While talking about my dad is very therapeutic for me, talking about Shannon's parents is extremely painful for him. The thing that amazes me about my wonderful hubby is that he is doing so incredibly well considering he has lost so much family already (he has also lost all of his grandparents). 

Shannon shared with me his conversation from the Superbowl. Thanks to my awesome hormones, I broke down and cried. It kills me that our precious little girl will never know of her amazing Potter grandparents, nor my incredible father. I am OF COURSE not discounting my mama. She is the most amazing woman in the world, and is fantastic grandmother to her grandbabies. It just hurts my heart that my girl won't get to experience all of her grandparents.

This has been a tender subject for me. When I got married, my heart ached because I longed to have my dad walk me down the aisle and felt very jealous of girls who had that opportunity. When my girlfriends or girls in general would complain about their in-laws, it hurt, because I have never had the opportunity to get to know mine. I wish so badly I could have known them. From the stories I have heard, they were the most incredible people. I wish Shannon knew my father. Daddy was a gentleman, charming, hilarious and precious.

I remember the first time we laid eyes on Muggle, at our ultrasound. She was this cute, tiny little bean pole then. I remember leaving and breaking down (thanks hormones). It just seemed to hit me all at once that my daddy wouldn't be here to be a part of this, and neither would Shan's parents. It just didn't seem fair.

::Going back to the Superbowl conversation::

I jokingly said to Shan that we should put out a Craigslist ad for "Wanted, 3 grandparents". While he did laugh, Shannon reminded me that even though our little Muggle wouldn't have all of her grandparents, she had oodles of other family members and good friends that already love the crap out of her. This is so true! At times, Shannon and I have been overwhelmed (in a good way) by people's good wishes, love and support. It brought more tears to my eyes because Shannon is right, she is so loved, and ultimately, loved immensely by our heavenly father.

It is a good thing to know that while our girl may not have all of her grandparents in the traditional sense, she will definitely be loved by so many. Our girl is already so incredibly blessed. 

6 months!!!!!!!!!

Six months today!!!
Holy flip, I can't even get over it. Loving this journey, and before I can blink, my girl will be here, AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How Far Along: 24 weeks baby!! 

How are you feeling? Overall, still pretty good!

Size of Muggle: My muggle girl is the size of a subway footlong. That makes me giggle!

Total Weight Gain: still about 7 pounds. Doc doesn't seem worried.

Crazy mood swings? Its improving! Feeling extremely emotional though!

Gender? GIIIIRRRRLLLLLLL.....holy crap, the thought of having a  daughter is still so crazy to me. Everyone was dead set it was a boy. I didn't honestly feel 100% either way, so I just went with the majority. Finding out it was a girl blew my mind! I am so not trying to be crazy and buy everything pink and ruffly in sight!

What I miss: Besides bloody mary's and wine, nothing too terribly much! Wait that's a lie. Holy crap I miss sleeping on my stomach! I long for it!

Sleep: Um its okay. I am definitely sleeping, but the getting up to pee 3-4 times a night is making me angry. Omg, I wake up and my hips and back are so sore. I know, I know it only gets worse.

Symptoms: nothing out of control, really, however I had a crazy thing happen to me earlier today, but I'm debating whether to blog that or not. Might be TMI. And yes, I am 100% okay and fine!

Cravings: Still dairy, especially chocolate milk. I am super craving sandwiches, though the internet has made lunch meat to be satan's spawn. So annoying. I still eat them from time to time (GASP) lol.

Aversions: None. Though I am NOT a fan of leftovers. 

Movement: My girl is very active! She is kicking me a lot more, and I can see my tummy starting to move, which is so insane. Some days she quiet, others she's wild! Juice makes her go crazy!

Belly stats: This belly is getting bigger and bigger by the minute. I crack up at how big I am, tummy wise. I know some girls who were my size at 9 months! Honestly, I'm soaking it up. I love it love it love it! 

Worries/concerns: I have learned this week of a tragic story of my old college pal, where her nephew was born 5 weeks early and died. My heart breaks for them. Honestly, that stuff scares the crap out of me. For whatever reason, people keep telling me how when their baby was born, the cord was wrapped around the neck, etc. All of that makes me scared. I keep telling myself that all of that is NOT in my control. The only thing I can do is take the best care of myself. 

Maternity Clothes: Yes, still mainly in pants. Thankful I can still wear most of my tops.

Stretch marks? Okay, so I thought I found one last month, but turns out it wasn't one. After examining my body in the mirror, I haven't found any. When I say that to people, they almost gleefully tell me to just wait, it will happen as I get bigger. Um, okay. I guess I will wait then?

Best Moments this week: simply feeling my daughter move. Can't even get over it. Also, people have been awesome wanting to give us stuff, which is fabulous!

What I'm looking forward to: my baby shower! It's not for awhile, but I can't wait! 

Till next time loves,